The Wooing of Sam Swarek
by snapple79
Summary: Andy finds ways to make Sam happy and show how much she loves him. This is a sequel to The Wooing of Andy McNally.
1. Chapter 1

**The Wooing of Sam Swarek**

Due to overwhelming demand, here is the sequel to The Wooing of Andy McNally. This story picks up where the other left off, and while it's not necessary to read The Wooing of Andy McNally prior to this story, you'll have a better idea of where their relationship stands in this story if you read that one first. Enjoy and, as always, I LOVE reading reviews so let me know what you think. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Andy woke up lazily, stretching her arms above her head before glancing at Sam out of the corner of her eye. His eyes were closed, but the small smile on his face told her he was awake. She rolled on top of him and his arms circled around her as his eyes finally opened.

"Happy birthday," she said before crushing her lips against his.

His arms held her tight against him, even when their lips parted. "Eh, it's just another day," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Andy rolled her eyes, knowing it was pointless to argue with him as they'd had this conversation many times. "Well, on this 'just another happy day,' I want us to do whatever you want to do."

"Really?" Before she had a chance to respond, Sam flipped them over and placed a kiss on her lips. "I can think..." Another kiss along her jaw. "...of a great way... " A kiss on her neck. "...to start the day." He kissed the sensitive skin where her neck met her collarbone before gently biting at the same spot.

Later, when they'd finally gotten out of bed, they decided to shower and go out for brunch. Andy was brushing through her wet hair and watching Sam from the doorway of the bathroom as he got dressed. "What time do you want to head to Sarah's?" she asked.

"I thought around 1. Gives us time to get down there and relax for a couple hours before going out to dinner," he said.

"Okay."

He walked over to her and ran his hands down the length of her arms to still them before gently grabbing her wrists. "You still nervous?" he asked.

"No." She looked up at him as he kept staring at her, not believing her answer. She blew out a breath of air. "Fine, yes. Okay, she's your sister and I'm meeting her for the _first time_. But I want to meet her, I really do. So, let's just forget about my nerves."

"She'll love you, I promise," Sam said, his fingers trailing up and down her arms.

"That's what you keep saying," she smirked.

The ringing of Sam's phone interrupted their conversation and he grabbed it off one of Andy's bedside tables. He didn't recognize the caller ID, but answered anyway. "This is Swarek...Yeah, Friday...Today? Not really...I kind of had plans...Yeah, fine. I'll be there."

He shoved his phone into his pocket as Andy walked over to him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"The damn Smithfield trial. Nash and I were supposed to testify Friday, but they've moved our testimony up two days because of some problem they're having with another witness." He rubbed a hand over his face, frustrated.

"And that would be today," she said, frowning. She knew how much he wanted to see his sister and spend his birthday with her. As many times as Andy asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, visiting Sarah was his only request so she'd made sure they both got the day off.

"The prosecutor said they'd put me on the stand first, so we could still make it to Sarah's for dinner. I'll let her know we won't be getting there as early as I thought," he said as he tied his shoes and grabbed his jacket.

Andy followed him through her condo to the front door. "Keep me posted. I'll be ready to leave whenever you can."

"I'm sorry." He leaned down to kiss her. "This isn't how I wanted to spend my birthday."

"I know," she said, giving him a smile. "We'll go to Sarah's tonight, and you and I will continue your birthday celebration on our next day off. I promise."

He leaned in for another kiss before opening the door. "I'll keep you too that," he said, grinning.

* * *

Several hours later as Andy was cleaning her apartment, her phone rang. Seeing it was Sam, she grinned as she answered. "You're done early. We can still - "

"No," Sam interrupted her. "The defense attorney had an emergency and was running late. They're just starting now and I won't be on the stand for at least another hour. We'll never make it to Sarah's for dinner."

"Sam, I'm sorry."

"Look, I'll call her and cancel. Don't waste your day off waiting for me. I'll let you know when I'm finally done here," he said. Andy could hear the sadness in his voice.

"I'm not wasting anything. Just call me when you're done and we'll make the best of whatever's left of the day," she responded, trying to sound optimistic.

Nearly an hour passed before the light bulb went on in Andy's head and she suddenly had a fantastic idea. If Sam couldn't get to Sarah, she was going to bring Sarah to Sam. Andy nervously chewed her bottom lip as she thought about what Sam had told her about his sister. She'd need to find a way to convince Sarah to leave St. Catharines, not an easy task. She was about to text Chris and Nick to see if she could borrow one of their cars when she realized a familiar car, or truck, would give her a better chance of getting Sarah to come with her.

She pulled out her phone and typed a message to Sam. _Can I borrow your truck? Kinda important. I'll take a cab to the courthouse._

She tapped her fingers on the phone until it beeped with Sam's response. _**Sure. Everything ok?**_

She smiled as she typed a reply. _Yeah, just need transportation to take care of something. Won't take long._

_**Take your time. I'll get Nash to give me a ride home later.**_**  
**  
_Love you :) Thx_

Andy called for a cab and half an hour later she was in Sam's truck and on her way to St. Catharines, a goofy grin plastered on her face as she thought about Sam's reaction to her plan.

Andy pulled into Sarah's driveway, impressed at how accurate the directions she'd searched for online had been, and took a deep breath as she pulled the keys from the ignition. Now that she was here, she suddenly thought that this sounded like a better idea in her head. What was she thinking? She's never met Sarah, doesn't really know what Sam's told his sister about her, and now she's showing up at her door ready to practically kidnap her to take her back to Sam. Sarah was going to call the cops on her and Sam would be spending the night of his birthday bailing her out of jail. Andy shook those thoughts and images from her head, took another deep breath and got out of the car.

Andy walked up the stairs to the porch of the small house and rang the doorbell. A minute later she heard footsteps nearing the door, and there was a long pause before the door slowly opened. Andy had seen photos of Sarah, but in person the Swarek resemblance was remarkable. The black hair, brown eyes, and even though she wasn't smiling, Andy saw the slight creases where Sarah's dimples would pop out.

Andy grinned. "Hi, I'm Andy, Sam's...uh, I'm Sam's, you know...I'm Andy McNally," she said, fumbling over her words.

Sarah furrowed her eyebrows and gave Andy a curious look. "Hello, is Sam..." She looked over the stranger standing in her doorway but saw an empty truck and her brother nowhere in sight. "I thought he couldn't make it."

"Well, yeah, he's still stuck in court, but I had an idea. Can I come in?" she asked. Sarah hesitated, but glancing back at the truck, she realized if Sam trusted this girl enough with his truck, the least she could do was invite her in. She opened the door wider and backed up to allow Andy into her home.

Andy stood in the foyer and waited for Sarah to close the door and turn toward her. "So, this is probably awkward, and well, my middle name is awkward, so..." Andy trailed off as Sarah's curious eyes bore into her. "Look, all Sam has wanted for his birthday was to spend time with you. I know he canceled our plans tonight, and he doesn't know I'm here, but I want to bring you back to Toronto. I want you two to have time together."

For the first time since she arrived, Andy saw a small smile emerge from Sarah's mouth. "It's nice to meet you Andy McNally," she said, holding out her hand to shake Andy's.

Andy blushed, realizing she kind of sped through introductions in her effort to explain why she showed up suddenly and without Sam. "Sorry."

Sarah shook her head. "It's okay. Sorry I didn't recognize you, but Sam's never showed me a picture of you. Told me a lot about you though."

"Uh, that's embarrassing," Andy replied, burying her face in her hands momentarily.

"Nah, but I know enough to know I'm safe letting you in my home," she said, ushering Andy into the living room. She led Andy to the couch, while she took the chair across from it. "So, tell me again why you're here."

"For weeks I've asked Sam what he wanted for his birthday and all he'd say was having dinner with you. I don't want the stupid trial he's testifying for to get in the way of that. But he's right, there's no way he'll be done in time to get down here for dinner, so I thought about taking the dinner to him. By the time we get back to Toronto, he should be done and heading home. I'd like to surprise him with you being there." Andy looked hopefully at the woman across from her.

"How much has Sam told you about me? About why I don't come to Toronto much?" she asked.

"A little. I know why he comes here more than you visit him, so I know it's a lot for me to ask. I just hoped..." Andy looked down at her lap and her fingers fidgeted with a stray thread sticking out of the seam of her jeans.

"It is," Sarah agreed. "The last time I visited him it took me a full day to prepare myself. You're giving me minutes."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have." Andy jumped up and took two steps toward the front door before Sarah's voice stopped her.

"Wait. Sit down." Sarah stood up and walked past Andy to the stairs. "Please. Wait." With that, Andy watched her disappear up the stairs and heard a door close.

Andy was confused and wasn't sure what to do. She walked back to the couch, sat down and did what Sarah had asked, wait. She heard noises above her head; feet pacing the floor back and forth, an occasionally slamming of what sounded like drawers, a door opening and closing. After about 15 minutes, it was making Andy nervous. She knew it was Sarah working through whatever she needed to, but she began second-guessing herself again, wondering if she was pushing Sam's sister too far.

In an effort to get her mind off the waiting, she stood up and walked over to the fireplace, taking in the handful of photos that graced the mantel. There was one of Sam and Sarah with a Christmas tree behind them, and based on their ages Andy figured it couldn't have been from more than a few years ago. She picked up another frame of two children and two adults sitting on an old couch. There was no doubt the children were Sam and Sarah, and the resemblance of the adults told her they were their parents. Andy smiled, realizing she was finally getting a little glimpse into Sam's past. There were two more photos; one of Sarah with a small group of people Andy assumed were friends, but it was the last photo her eyes captured that caught her by surprise.

There was Sam and Sarah, only slightly older than in the photo with their parents, surrounded by a group of about 20 other children. Examining the faces of the children, she guessed their ages to be between 4 and 16. It was only then that Andy noticed the children were standing in front of a sign. Blocking most of it, she could still make out the letters "phanage." An orphanage. She'd always wondered what Sam had meant by his foster home comment during the Alvarez case. This was her answer; he'd been in foster care. She wondered if Sam would ever open up enough to talk to her about that time in his life.

Footsteps on the stairs pulled Andy out of her thoughts, and glancing at her watch, she didn't realize how much time had passed while she looked at the photos. She turned around as Sarah entered the room. She'd changed her clothes and carried a small duffel bag with her.

"I don't know…I might not…I can't promise you I'm going to make it to Toronto," Sarah said. "But I want to try…for Sam. All I ask is that if I need to come back, you turn the truck around. I need to know that you'll listen and do that."

Andy nodded her head vigorously. "Of course. Absolutely. Just say the word."

"Thank you." Sarah waved her hand toward the door and took a deep breath. "Let's go."

They'd been on the road for about half an hour, with Sarah playing with the radio stations for most of that time. Andy knew she was anxious, so she remained quiet while Sarah worked out her nervousness. Suddenly, Sarah sat up straight and began wringing her hands together. "I can't do this. I can't," she said, shaking her head.

"It's only a little over an hour left. You can do this, Sarah."

"No. No, I can't. He'll understand. I can't."

Andy pulled off the highway so she could put the car in park. She turned her body slightly so she was facing Sarah and slowly put a hand on hers to steady them. "Sarah, take a deep breath. Is there an image you bring to mind to get past these panic attacks?" When she nodded, Andy continued. "Okay, whatever it is, close your eyes and picture it." She stayed silent and minutes later Sarah slowly began breathing normally again.

Sarah realized Andy's calm tone of voice was soothing and actually helping her relax again. When she felt her heart rate return to normal, she opened her eyes and looked over at the woman sitting next to her. "Thank you."

The panic attack had scared Andy and she wondered if she was doing the right thing bringing Sarah to Toronto. "Maybe this was a bad idea. I'm sorry. I can take you home," she suggested.

Sarah turned her hand over so she could give Andy's hand, which still rested on hers, a squeeze. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

Andy looked Sarah in the eye and told her the truth. "I'm doing it for Sam. He wanted to spend his birthday with his sister." She closed her eyes for a moment and when they opened, she was staring down at the cup holder between them. "And I'd do anything for him."

Sarah realized everything Sam had told her about Andy was true, and she was pretty sure this woman was _it_ for her brother. And she couldn't wait to see his face when she told him that. "Keep driving. I'll be better once we get to Sam's." She smiled when Andy looked up at her.

Andy pulled back onto the road and glanced over at Sarah quickly. "Do you like steak? Or are you like a vegetarian or anything?"

Sarah bit back a laugh as she answered. "No, I'm a meat-eater. Why?"

"Sam's favorite restaurant is this steakhouse near his apartment and I thought I'd call ahead to pick up an order for the three of us. Their steaks are really _the best_."

"That sounds good. If the butterflies in my stomach ever stop flying around, I'll be starving by the time we get to Sam's," Sarah said.

Andy quickly smiled before focusing back on the road. Arriving in Toronto, Andy made a quick stop at the steakhouse to pick up their dinner before getting to Sam's apartment. "Come on in," Andy said, opening the door and ushering Sarah in. "I'm sure Sam would tell you to make yourself at home, so…"

Sarah put her duffel bag down near the door and Andy hung up their jackets before heading to the kitchen to find a way to keep their dinner warm until Sam came home.

Sarah insisted on helping Andy set the table, telling her she needed to keep busy while they waited for Sam. She was placing the utensils next to each plate, when she looked over at Andy. "Thank you for this." When Andy gave her a sheepish smile, she continued. "It'll mean a lot to Sam...and, it means a lot to me."

Andy blushed and looked down as she folded the napkins and placed one next to each plate. "It's nothing, really, I just want him happy."

"It's not nothing, Andy. Really, he's lucky to have you," Sarah said.

"I'm the lucky one." When her phone beeped, she pulled it out of her pocket to see a text from Sam. _Nash is giving me a ride. You home?_

"It's your brother," she told Sarah, before responding. _**Nope, your place. :)**_

_This have to do with borrowing my truck?_

_**Maybe ;) Just come home.**_

Sarah intently watched the features of Andy's face as she texted with Sam. She saw the smile, the bright eyes, the overall glow that emanated from her. This girl was head over heels with her brother and she couldn't have been happier that he found someone who loved him so much.

"He's getting a ride home now, so it shouldn't be long. Wanna have a glass of wine while we wait?" Andy asked.

"Sure. I can tell you what a devil child Sam was," Sarah said, laughing. Andy poured their wine and sat down on the couch to wait for Sam's arrival.

A short time later, Andy raced to the door when she heard Sam's keys in the lock. The moment he walked in the door, she launched herself at him, almost knocking him down. "Good to see you too," he said, chuckling.

She gave him a quick kiss before throwing her hand over his eyes as he tried to walk them further into his apartment. "I have a surprise," she said.

"McNally," he growled. "You _know_I hate surprises." He fought to look through her fingers, but she kept her hand securely over his eyes.

"I promise, this surprise you'll like. Just come," she said, tugging him into the living room. She waited until Sarah was standing in front of them before moving her hand.

Sam's jaw dropped open when he saw his sister. "Sarah? What? How?"

Andy giggled and backed away from the siblings. Sarah threw a glance at Andy before looking at her brother again. "She's persistent. Happy birthday, Sammy."

Sam took a couple steps to close the distance between him and his sister, and wrapped her up in a hug. "I'm glad you're here. Sorry our plans got screwed up."

Andy let Sam and Sarah catch up as she headed into the kitchen to get their dinner ready.

"She's a keeper, Sammy," Sarah said. She expected to see shock and fear take over his face, but instead she saw contentment and happiness.

"I know. How'd she get you..."

"To leave St. Catharine's? She was patient and persistent. And, you know, she had your truck, so I knew how much you trusted her," she said, the classic Swarek smirk displayed.

Sam rolled his eyes before getting serious. "With my life."

"I know. And she was doing this all for you, so how could I say no." Standing on her tip toes, she kissed her brother's cheek. "Now, go give her a proper hello." She smirked as he turned and headed to the kitchen.

Andy was placing the food she'd kept warm on plates when Sam entered the kitchen. "You're amazing, you know that?" He circled his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "Thank you." He closed the distance between their lips for a passionate kiss. Andy forgot what she'd been doing or who was in the next room as she slid her hands up Sam's back and moaned into his mouth. Sam was the first to pull back, knowing all too well his sister was only feet away, and nudged his nose with hers.

Before either could speak, Sarah's voice came booming from the dining room. "Some people here are hungry, you know. Stop making out like teenagers in there!" she teased.

Andy blushed at her words, but Sam just chuckled. He nodded toward the food. "That smells great."

"It's your favorite," she said sheepishly.

Andy picked up two of the plates and nodded for Sam to get the other, but before he did, he gently grabbed her arm to stop her movement and force her to look at him again. "Hey…Thank you." Andy saw the sincerity in his eyes and smiled before continuing into the dining room.

There were many observations going on at the dinner table. Andy enjoyed seeing Sam interact with his sister; Sam loved watching the two most important women in his love getting along, even if they were joking at his expense most of the time; and Sarah couldn't help but catch the loving glances her brother and Andy were throwing each other and the playful taunting they engaged in.

When dinner was over, Andy insisted Sam and Sarah catch up, pushing them into the living room before cleaning up. It was hours later before Sam and Andy were alone. When Sarah was comfortable on the pull-out couch, they retreated to Sam's bedroom.

As Andy curled up against Sam in bed, resting her chin on his chest, she looked up at him. "So, how was your birthday?" she asked.

"Andy, thank you." Those two words weren't enough to express how he felt about what Andy had done for him. "Tonight…it was beyond, it was…Tonight was amazing." He found he was having a hard time describing how truly wonderful his night had been all thanks to Andy.

She shrugged her shoulders and cast her eyes downward sheepishly. "It was nothing. It was how you wanted to spend your birthday."

"It wasn't nothing."

"Your sister said the same thing," she said, looking up at him again.

"Well, she's right. What you did was amazing. I appreciate it, my sister appreciates it. I spent the night with my two favorite women; a birthday can't get better than that," he said.

"Sam…" His words made her heart so full. "I'm glad I got to meet Sarah."

"Me too. She likes you, you know. And I'm sure you have lots of childhood stories to heckle me about now," he said, smirking.

"Well…" Andy giggled, which caused Sam to just shake his head. She laid her head down on his chest as her fingers dances along his neck and collarbone. "Anything your birthday was missing?"

"Well, I was hoping for one more thing," he said, which had Andy's head popping up. The fear written all over her face as she thought she might have forgotten something was quickly replaced by a playful smirk as she saw his waggling eyebrows.

"Sam! Your sister is down the hall!" She playfully slapped his arm.

"So, we'll just have to be quiet." With thoughts in this mind about how this had been the perfect birthday, he rolled them over and pinned Andy to the mattress as he brought his lips to hers.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and alerts to this story! Several people asked me if Andy got Sam a birthday present in the last chapter. I imagine she did, but it seemed like a mundane detail to include with everything else going on and whenever I tried to write a present into the chapter, it didn't really fit. :) Anyway, hope you enjoy this next chapter! Please leave a review and let me know what you think. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Andy noticed something had been off with Sam lately and she was pretty sure it had to do with work. Lately, he was snapping at everyone – truly _everyone_ – but he'd leave it all at the station and be as sweet as ever when they were at home together. Even though he hadn't been a detective for very long, everyone respected him so much that a lot of investigations were being diverted to him and his caseload seemed to keep increasing. Andy knew she had to do something to help him. She thought about telling him to delegate some of the cases, but knew he'd never go for that, partly because he enjoys what he's doing and helping people, and also because he feels like he has something to prove in his new position. She decided he needed a way to release the angry and frustration that was building up inside him.

Several days after Andy began trying to come up with a way to help Sam, they were lounging around her condo on their day off. Her head was resting on his thigh as he sat on the couch. He was playing with her hair with one hand while she traced the fingers of his other hand.

They'd been talking, like really talking and sharing like they promised to do. Andy telling stories of her exploits with the high school basketball team – championships included – and Sam talking about all the pets he and Sarah had growing up, including the dozen or so fish they managed to accidentally kill.

Andy decided to be bold and jump into a more serious topic. "Um, can I ask you a question about before, about when we were together…before everything?" she asked hesitantly, not knowing how Sam was going to react.

His fingers that were lost in her hair stilled for a moment before he responded. "Uh, yeah, sure."

She linked the fingers of his other hand with hers and brought them to rest on her chest. "What were you always running off to in the mornings? Why didn't you ever stay?" she asked, looking straight up at him as he tilted his head down.

"I, uh…" He began rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. "I was meeting Jerry most of the time. Ever since we joined the force, we met several times a week to spar with each other. It kept us on our toes, kept us from punching a suspect when they really pissed us off." He'd been frowning when he started his answer, but the last few words brought a chuckle to his lips. "It was just…you and I, we spent so much time together, those mornings with Jerry, they were…"

"They were 'you time,'" she finished.

"Yeah, I didn't know how to tell you. It seemed easier to just leave," he explained.

"Sam, we both need time away from each other. And sometimes it's more than just poker night or girl's night. Promise me…let's not make each other wonder, so promise me you'll just tell me?" she asked.

"Promise."

Andy leaned up and Sam's hand that had been in her hair traveled down to her back to prop her up. He closed the remaining distance between them and placed his lips on hers. When they parted he nuzzled her nose with his for a moment.

"Have you sparred with anyone since…since Jerry died?" she asked softly.

"My locker may have received some punches," he said, giving her a half smile. "But no, not since…then."

Andy suddenly found the answer to the question she'd been asking herself for days and came up with a great idea. For now, she laid her head back down on his thigh and they continued talking about less serious topics.

* * *

Two days later, Sam stopped by Andy's condo to pick her up for their morning run, but on this day she had other ideas. "Ready to go?" he asked when she answered the door.

"Yep, but I thought we'd do something a little different today, if that's okay." She hoped to keep her idea a surprise, but knew if Sam pushed too much, she'd have to tell him ahead of time.

"Should I be scared?" he asked with a smile.

"No, but I can I drive?" He narrowed his eyes, but with the amount of times he'd let her drive his truck, he couldn't even feign shock anymore that she'd asked him.

He handed his keys to her. "Do I at least get a hint?"

"Nope." She practically bounced down the hallway and out to the truck with Sam following close behind. "Just trust me," she said, when she started up the truck.

They pulled into the station's parking lot a short time later. Sam gave Andy a questioning look as they got out of the truck, but she only grabbed his arm and pulled him inside with her. When they entered the station's gym, Sam was entirely confused. "You want to workout here instead of going for a run?" he asked.

"Yes and no. Not a regular workout, but I thought it was about time you did something you hadn't done in a while," she said, walking over to the mat on the other side of the room, beyond all the gym equipment.

He started to follow her until he saw her pick up boxing gloves. "You don't have to do this. We can go for our run, like normal."

"Come here," she said, holding out the gloves. "You're overdue for a sparring session."

"I can't." He whispered. "The last time…Jerry and I…I don't think I can."

"Look, I'm not trying to take his place, Sam. That's the _last_ thing I'm trying to do here." She knew no one could take the place of a best friend. "But you need a way to release the anger and frustration that builds up inside, and it can't be coincidence you've been snapping at people more and more now that you don't have regular boxing sessions."

He'd walked over to her while she was talking and hesitantly took the gloves she offered and put them on. "You seem to know what I need better than I do."

"Just trying to lookout for you. I love you too much for something to happen because you end up taking your pent-up frustration out on someone, like a suspect." Andy grabbed another set of boxing gloves and put them on. "You said it yourself, you did this regularly to get it all out."

"I get what you're trying to do, Andy. But Jerry and I, we were, well, we were better matched. I don't want to hurt you," he said, not entirely sure if he was giving Andy an out or trying to find one for himself.

Andy raised an eyebrow and punched him in the stomach. "Really? You want to try that again, Sam? Pretty sure the last time we did this, I took you down."

He let out an 'ompf,' more from surprise than the punch itself. "Rewriting history, are we McNally?" he questioned, smirking.

"Nope," she said, popping the 'p.' "Just remembering history accurately."

He tapped her shoulder with his gloved hand. "So that's how you want to play this, huh?"

They started to walk around the mat, each waiting for the other to make the next move. Andy finally threw a left hook, which Sam dodged, and the sparring match began. For the next half hour, they smiled and laughed as light punches were thrown. Andy could see the tension escaping Sam's body.

When they were done, Andy grabbed two water bottles from the gym's mini-fridge, plopped down on the mat next to Sam and leaned back against the wall. She handed a bottle over to him, before twisting the cap off hers and taking a long swig. "So, how do you feel?" she asked.

Sam mirrored her actions with his bottle of water before responding. He felt like a weight had been lifted off him. Maybe he had been keeping emotions that built up from all the cases he worked bottled up. "Better, I feel a lot better."

She smiled and nudged her shoulder against his. "Told you."

"I guess I didn't realize how much I missed sparring with Jerry. I thought it had more to do with missing him than needing this outlet," he admitted.

"You know, if you want, we could change up our workouts and once a week come here instead of going running." As the words came out of her mouth she thought about how Sam had said the boxing he did with Jerry was his time away from her. What if he still needed that? What if she was being too pushy, too clingy? "Or, you know, if you just want to skip one of our runs and come here with someone else, I mean, that's totally fine too. It doesn't have to be me that – "

Sam silenced her by leaning around to place his lips on hers. He smiled as he pulled back. "Couldn't imagine sparring with anyone else."

Andy returned his smile with a big toothy grin before poking a boney finger into his chest. "Just don't expect me to go so easy on you next time."

"Oh, this was you going easy?" he asked doubtful.

"You won, didn't you? So of course that's was me going easy on you," she replied, smirking.

Sam chuckled. "By all means, don't go easy next time," he said, smirking back at her.

Andy leaned over to him, placing a messy kiss on his cheek. "C'mon," she said getting up and grabbing Sam's hand to pull him up. "We gotta shower before our shift starts."

"Together?" he asked with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

Andy simply shook her head. "See you in Parade, Sam."

* * *

A few days later, Sam walked into the locker room to grab his jacket where he saw Oliver changing out of his uniform.

"Coming to The Penny, brother?" Oliver asked, expecting a positive response since it was the Toronto Maple Leafs' season opener and they always spent it watching the game at The Penny.

"Nope, not tonight," Sam replied, pulling his jacket out of his locker.

Oliver's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"McNally's got plans for us tonight. She was so excited, I didn't want to break her heart," he said. Sam didn't even know what the plans were, but Andy had been so giddy about making sure he was free tonight that he'd totally forgotten about hockey.

"Sammy, it's the season opener _and_ it's a home game. We _never_ miss this game. You, me, Frank...Jerry."

"I'll watch the highlights on the news later," he said, shutting his locker. "Gotta go, Ollie. See you tomorrow."

Andy was waiting outside the locker room, unusually early for once because she couldn't wait to show Sam his surprise. She pulled two tickets out of her back pocket just to make sure they were there and was putting them back when the locker room door opened and Sam walked out. "Ready?" she asked with a big toothy grin on her face.

"As always," he said, taking her hand in his. "We heading somewhere for dinner before this mystery location you're taking me to?"

"Nope, we can get dinner there."

When they got to his truck, she hopped in, waiting until Sam got behind the wheel. "So, you gonna tell me where we're going?" he asked.

"To the Air Canada Centre."

Sam looked over at her, eyebrow raised, wondering if he heard her correctly. She just smiled, biting the inside of her cheek to force herself not to reveal the surprise just yet. "Okie dokie," Sam finally said as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Andy remained silent on the way over and when they started walking up to the entrance of the Air Canada Centre, Sam finally had to say something. "You know it's opening night, right? We can't just walk up to the box office and buy a ticket."

"I may not know much about hockey, but I _do_ know that," she replied. She stopped walking and waited for Sam to turn toward her. She pulled the tickets out of her back pocket and held them out for him. As his eyes skimmed over the ticket, he couldn't believe it. These were fifth row tickets center ice, just feet from the penalty box.

"What? How?" Sam was both shocked and excited. And he couldn't believe Andy had been able to keep this a secret.

"My dad has this friend in AA who knows someone who had some extra tickets to sell."

"Andy, this is...wow. Thank you." Sam was still stunned.

She shrugged her shoulders sheepishly as they continued walking toward the entrance. "I know how much you love hockey. I mean, last year, Traci and I were pretty much invisible to you and Jerry while we were at The Penny," she said with a laugh. They stopped at the end of a short line of people waiting to have their tickets scanned. Andy looked over at Sam. "And I wanted to do something special for you...cause I love you so much."

Sam leaned over to kiss her. "I love you too."

They made their way into the building, stopping for hotdogs, nachos and beers as they made their way to their seats. When they sat down Andy watched Sam as he looked at the ice in awe. He couldn't believe how close they were; he could nearly reach out and touch the ice. He'd been to many games over the years, but never, never had seats this good before.

"You gonna eat that hotdog or drool over the penalty box?" she teased, nudging his shoulder with her own.

"Funny," he deadpanned, before picking up his hotdog and taking a huge bite. Andy smiled as she stared at him, thinking he looked just like a kid on Christmas morning.

When the game started, Sam eagerly explained what was happening to a clueless Andy. She couldn't help that she was more of a basketball person and knew nothing about hockey. As Andy held Sam's hand in hers on the armrest, she smiled at how happy he was. Seeing the glow in his eyes and excitement on his face made all the favors she owed her dad for helping her get these tickets worth it. She really would do anything for Sam.

Andy was pulled out of her thoughts when Sam jumped out of his seat screaming. She stood up and leaned into him. "Did we score?"

"Yeah and that was a tough one," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I love you, you know. Thank you for this."

She leaned up and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I love you too, and I love seeing you happy."

"You make me happy."

Andy could have stood there wrapped up in Sam forever, but soon everyone around them was sitting again, so they followed suit. As one of the teams took a timeout, Sam looked over at Andy. "You having a good time? I know hockey isn't really your thing."

"I'm with you. I don't need anything else." She laced her fingers with his, never taking her eyes off of his, so he could see how sincere she was.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you again for all the reviews, favorites and alerts! I'm pretty sure I smile opening each review just as much as I do opening presents on Christmas. :) Sadly, this will be the last chapter of this story. Hope you all enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review to let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Andy was tying up the laces of her boots when Sam walked in the locker room after her shift looking for her. "Hey," she said, looking up at him with a grin on her face.

Sam wasn't showing the same happiness as he straddled the bench to sit next to her. He sighed, not happy about what he had to say. "Andy…I have to cancel our plans for tonight." He hated to do this, promised himself he wouldn't be like _other_ detectives who couldn't make their personal life a priority. "I hate to, but Frank's getting pressure from Superintendent Peck to get this closed quickly and - "

"Sam, it's okay." She interrupted him and put her hand on his cheek. "You caught a serial killer today. I figure that trumps any dinner plans." She wasn't just saying it to make him feel better; she really meant that she was okay. For weeks the Toronto Police Department had been trying to track down a guy murdering single college women, and today Sam had put the final piece of the puzzle together and arrested the guy. She was proud of him.

"Yeah, but I know you were dying to try out that new Italian place and we're overdue for a relaxing movie night. I just…I'm sorry," he said, putting his hand over hers that still rested on his cheek. They'd been working a lot of opposite shifts lately and he'd been looking forward to this date night with Andy.

"Stop apologizing. I mean it." She leaned in and kissed him to show him she wasn't mad. She was actually excited about the opportunity this provided her to do something she'd wanted to do for a while.

"I'll call you when I get home, okay," he said, as he stood up. "And you're getting a rain check on dinner and a movie." He smiled as he backed out of the locker room.

When Sam was gone, Andy let the grin she'd been hiding spread across her face. She grabbed her jacket and ran out to the parking lot, hoping to catch a ride with one of her friends.

* * *

An hour later, Andy let herself into Sam's apartment and quickly started preparing dinner with the ingredients she'd picked up on the way home. She took a guess about when Sam might arrive so she could have dinner ready without it being overcooked, and Traci promised to text her when they were done and Sam was heading home.

While Andy waited to put the finishing touches on the meal, she headed into Sam's bathroom and placed candles throughout the room. She knew he wasn't really keen on taking baths, but she hoped she could convince him to relax in one if there was a little romance involved. She wanted to pamper him, to do something for him because he was constantly doing things to make her happy.

By the time Sam arrived home, Andy had everything ready and was lighting candles on the kitchen table when she heard him walk through the door. The wonderful smells assaulting his nose the moment he walked into his apartment told him he wasn't alone. He let out a sigh, realizing how happy he was that she was here. He hadn't asked her to come over, hadn't expected her to be too happy with him after he broke their date, but here she was cooking him dinner after a ridiculously long day at work.

"Andy?" he called out as he followed the smell of wonderful food to the kitchen.

She turned around when she felt his presence and smiled at him. "Hey."

In two strides, he was directly in front of her and wrapping his arms around her to bring her against him. He buried his head in her hair, inhaling the calming vanilla scent of her shampoo, as her arms circled around him. He closed his eyes and took a couple deep breaths, just wanting to be held by her. It was days like today when he just wanted to lose himself in her.

She rubbed a hand up and down his back as he held on tight. "Everything okay?" she whispered with her mouth near his ear.

"Just a deliriously long and tiring day. But you just made it a whole lot better." The grumbling of his stomach had him pulling back as she giggled. "Something smells wonderful."

"I know it was a rough day, a rough week, so I thought you deserved to come home to a home-cooked meal," she said, her hands lingering around his waist as they still held on to each other.

"All I need right now is you."

"Well, you get me, a home-cooked meal, and a little surprise later." Before he could respond, she leaned up to place her lips on his. "Relax and sit down. I'll have the food ready in a minute."

He grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down, watching Andy look right at home in his kitchen. He could have been happy if they ate day-old Chinese takeout as long as she was here with him, but the fact she cooked what looked and smelled like an amazing meal for him after she knew what a rough day he'd had made his heart thump inside his chest. He loved her so much and couldn't believe he had waited so long to tell her. He was glad all that hesitation was behind them because all he wanted to do was keep telling her how much he loved her.

By the time they finished dinner and Andy cleaned up – she insisted Sam relax – it was pretty late, but she still wanted to show Sam part two of her little evening of pampering. She walked into the living room where Sam sat on the couch going through his mail.

"Thank you again for dinner. It was delicious, Andy," he said when he saw her walking over to him.

"You deserve to be pampered every now and then…even though I know how much you hate it." She stood in front of him smiling.

"There's gotta be a more manly word than pampering," he smirked.

"When you come up with it, tell me, but for now, I have one more thing to show you. Give me five minutes, okay?"

Sam furrowed his eyebrows at her, wondering what she had up her sleeve. "Oooh-kay." When Sam nodded, she headed down the hall to his bathroom. She waited for the tub to fill as she lit the candles and stripped down until all she had on was a towel wrapped around her. When the tub was filled, she called down the hall for Sam, and soon heard him padding her way.

"You need some – " Sam stopped mid-sentence when he saw Andy standing in front of him nearly naked.

"I know you hate baths, but they can be really relaxing, and I thought maybe I could convince you if I took one with you," she said, the words coming out of her mouth fast as if she was afraid he would say no. But the words had barely left her mouth when Sam pulled his shirt over his head.

When he'd stripped all of his clothes off, he walked over to Andy and pulled her flush against him. "I'll take a bath every day if it means you'll be sitting in there with me," he said, nodding at the tub before crushing his mouth against hers. When they broke apart, Andy dropped the towel she'd been holding and stepped into the hot water of the tub. Sam waited until she sat down before climbing in with her. Andy made him sit in front of her, knowing she'd have more control over forcing him to relax in this position.

Andy began massaging Sam's shoulders and when he let out a content sigh, she knew he was beginning to relax. She leaned in close, so her lips brushed against his ear as she spoke. "Feel good?" she whispered.

The mere feeling of her breath on his skin sent chills through his body and Sam knew if he tried to speak it would simply come out as a squeak. So, he nodded his head. "Mmmhmm."

She ran her hands up and down his back, applying pressure to his muscles. Her fingers spent more time molding his shoulders before trailing them down his arms until she reached his hands, which were resting on her legs under the water. When her hands came back to his shoulders, she rubbed his earlobes between her thumb and index finger as she kissed the back of his neck.

"Andy." Her name came out of his mouth as a sigh and his brain hadn't even instructed his mouth what words should come after that. There were so many emotions running through him, but relaxation was overtaking anything else.

He leaned back against her when she gently tugged on his shoulders, and her hands traveled down his chest before slowly returning back up and then down his back. She slid her arms around his waist and placed kisses on his shoulders. "You once said being a detective was like undercover work. You get lost in it." She kissed his jaw when he turned his head toward her, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "But it's not the same. You're not living someone else's life. You're here, you have your friends…you have me. You're not alone. Don't compartmentalize what you're feeling about the cases you work. That's how you'll lose yourself."

Sam grabbed her hands with his own and intertwined their fingers. "Yeah? How'd you get so smart?"

"I was taught by the best." Even though he couldn't see it, he knew she was smirking.

"They must be _awesome_."

"Eh, sometimes." She couldn't quiet her giggle, and began laughing uncontrollably when Sam's fingers found the ticklish spot behind her knee. "Sam!" she squealed.

When he finally stopped and rested his hand on her leg, he could feel her heavy breathing by the rise and fall of her chest as she was pressed up against his back. He was silent, gently rubbing his hand over her knee, and felt her breathing return to normal. He turned his head so he could look at her over his shoulder.

Andy could tell the look on his face on had gotten serious, so she looked at him, urging him to speak. "All those girls…I mean, we got him. We've got the evidence. He'll go to jail for a long time. But it doesn't bring them back. I can't tell the parents their daughters are coming back."

"But you're bringing them justice," she said, cupping his cheek and letting her thumb rub against his cheekbone.

He pushed out a breath of air. "But is that enough?"

"If it wasn't, wouldn't our jobs be pointless? It's what we do, get justice for the victims." She kissed his shoulder before resting her chin in the same spot.

He gave her a slight nod, knowing she was right even if he couldn't fully believe it right now. They'd done enough talking about work for now. He wanted to make the most of this wonderful night Andy planned. "Okay, I don't want to talk about work anymore tonight. This was really relaxing. Thank you."

She kissed the corner of his mouth, about all of his lips she could reach from this angle. "It seemed like you needed it. I just wanted to do something for you."

Sam shifted, causing the water to slosh about, so his mouth could get better access to hers. As the water moved around her, Andy realized how cold it had become. "Maybe…we should…get out of here," she said, most of the words getting lost in his mouth.

"Mmmhmm." Reluctantly pulling his lips away from hers, he stood up and stepped onto the bathroom rug before grabbing Andy's hands and helping her out of the tub.

Sam stood motionless as Andy grabbed a towel and began drying him off. She started with his arms before moving to his chest, letting the towel graze over his skin. She smiled and bit her bottom lip when Sam's breath hitched as she reached his hips and traveled down his legs. When she was standing upright again, Sam grabbed the towel from her, wanting to have his own fun. He slowly dragged the towel over every inch of her body before tossing it aside and wrapping his arms around her until she was flush up against him.

She brought her lips to his and he quickly deepened the kiss as her hands roamed the strong muscles of his back. When the need for air became too much, she pulled her lips off of his but began to nip along his jaw.

Sam began backing up, tugging Andy along with him as he brought them to his bedroom. He stumbled into the wall trying to get through the doorway as Andy's mouth assaulted his neck, and he felt her giggle vibrate against his skin. She pulled away from him slightly so she could take his hand in hers and lead him toward the bed.

Hours later, as they lay tangled up in each other and the sheets, Andy placed light kisses on Sam's chest. Feeling his eyes on her, she looked up at him.

"How'd I get so lucky?" he asked. She'd given him the perfect night after a long day. She instinctively knew what he needed even though he'd let her down by cancelling their original plans.

"I'm the lucky one," she said, bringing her hand to rest against his neck so her thumb could slide back and forth over his strong jaw. "We've been through so much. I don't want anything to come between us again. I want us to woo each other for the rest of our lives."

_The rest of their lives._ He smiled at the thought. "I like the sound of that."

* * *

The End.


End file.
